SAINT JOSEPH COLLEGE

Saint Joseph High School Department

Academic Year 2020-2021

LEARNER’S LEARNING MATERIALS 11

ENGLISH GRADE 10
3rd QUARTER
 LESSON
OBJECTIVE

MELCS: Compose an argumentative essay

LESSON
Writing an Argumentative Essay
DISCUSSION

Writing an Argumentative Essay

In the previous lesson, you learned about the different patterns that you may use
in writing an argumentative essay. Remember that the goal of an argumentative essay
is not just to inform the readers of your claim but to also present the pros and cons of
the claim, and to justify that the pros of your proposition outweigh its cons.

An argumentative essay presents the pros and the cons of a given claim.

Enumerated below are some helpful tips in writing an effective argumentative

essay:

1. Have a clear plan in mind before writing an argumentative essay.

Planning is the first step in writing an argumentative essay. Choose a pattern to follow
and prepare an outline of the pros and cons that you will present to justify your main
argument. Be mindful of your reader’s interests, background knowledge, and level of
understanding as these will affect how you choose to write and explain your argument.
Moreover, you should also follow the time frame, word count, and format (paper size,
font style, margins, etc.) assigned to you.

2. Present factual and logical proofs.

Your knowledge about the issue is crucial in convincing your readers of the soundness
of your argument. Thoroughly research about your topic. Go to the library and go online
to search for new and useful information about your topic. Remember that it is important
to know both the pros and cons of the issue in order for you to justify your claim. Use
either inductive (specific to general) or deductive (general to specific) logic in presenting
the information that you have gathered. Inductive logic uses specific details as proofs to
establish a general claim. Deductive logic, on the other hand, proceeds from a general
claim to the presentation of specific proofs.

3. Use specific words and give clear examples to justify your main argument.

Use specific, clear, and concrete words to avoid ambiguity. Your readers can easily
understand your argument if you present tangible proofs and examples that they can
relate to. If you think that your readers may not be fully aware of the terms that you will
be using, provide a technical or an operational definition for these. Use action words to
make your argumentative essay forceful and vivid. Limit the number of adjectives that
you use for a simple and a more straightforward argumentative essay. You should also
provide adequate and clear examples to further justify the pros and cons that you
present.

4. Revise and proofread your argumentative essay before submitting it.

Good writers review and revise their work before submitting them. You should check the
organization, coherence, and unity of your essay; the clarity of your ideas; the accuracy
of your grammar; and the appropriateness of your word choices. It is a good idea to ask
a friend to read and comment on your work. There are also softwares and online
applications that can help you check your grammar and spelling. Keep in mind that
excellent writing is a product of several stages of editing and rewriting
 Writing a Thesis Statement for an Argumentative
Essay
As explained before, an argumentative essay aims to present a position about a
topic based on a writer’s collection, analysis, and evaluation of information. A thesis
statement in an argumentative essay is a sentence which reflects the position or the
main idea of the writer. This guides a writer in presenting and developing the arguments
and ideas in his or her paper.

The thesis statement is usually found in the introduction or in the first paragraph
of the argumentative essay. This helps establish the writer’s position and provides
readers with a clear idea of what the paper is about. This also gives them an idea of
what to expect from the argumentative essay.

Study some examples of thesis statements below:

1. Mining activities in the Philippines should be banned as they destroy the

natural habitat of various animal species.

2. Mining activities should only be regulated and not totally be banned because
thousands of Filipino families depend on this industry.

3. An English only policy should be implemented because allowing students to

use Taglish negatively affects their English proficiency.

4. Students should be allowed to use Taglish because an English only policy will
hinder them from freely expressing their ideas in class.

Argumentative Essay example:

Two Cities Pledge Support against Marijuana Legalization

Cities of Bacolod and Valenzuela recently adopted separate resolutions against

legalization of marijuana (cannabis). Both city councils agreed that marijuana
legalization will run counter to the state policy of safeguarding the well-being of the
citizenry, particularly the youth.

In their resolutions, they expressed their disapproval of the move to legalize the use of
marijuana in the country because there is no conclusive medical research that shows
positive or healthy effect on individuals using the drug.

Hon. Rodolfo Albano III, representative of 1st District of Isabela, filed last May 26, 2014,
House Bill 4477 or the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Bill which sought to
legalize and regulate the medical use of cannabis in compliance with government policy
to balance its national drug control program and the regulated use of dangerous drugs
for treatment and medication of patients with debilitating medical conditions.

According to the bill, research conducted by the US National Institute of Medicine

confirmed the beneficial and therapeutic uses of cannabis in 1999.Many citizens
reacted to the passage of the aforesaid bill including the local governments of Bacolod
and Valenzuela, and this led them to adopt separate city resolutions condemning the
legalization of marijuana in the Philippines.

In their resolutions, the city government of Bacolod pointed out that states in US
legalizing marijuana, experienced increase in cases of youth possessing and using the
drug and has now realized the adverse effects on its youth, thus they have the intention
to withdraw or revoke the law providing for marijuana legalization. The city resolution of
Bacolod also cited the fact that the state of Washington suffered from an increase in
transport related accidents due to drivers using marijuana.

Meanwhile, the Valenzuela City government argued that the Philippines is a signatory to
the United Nations Convention on Narcotic Drugs which cites marijuana as one of the
most dangerous drugs in the world.

The Valenzuela resolution further argued that even the Philippine Medical Association
and the Philippine College of Addiction Medicine are convinced that more in-depth
scientific or medical studies are needed to prove the health benefits of marijuana before
it can be legalized and used as an alternative medicine.

Source: https://www.ddb.gov.ph/newsroom/210-two-cities-pledge-support-against-
marijuana-legalization
 ENGLISH 10-LLM11
EVALUATION

Answer page 69-70 on your workbook, Dynamics Mind

English 10,Unit 2-Worksheet 5(ACTIVITY B &C).Write your
answers on your workbook.

Answer Key

*ANSWERS MAY VARY

SOURCE:

Practical English 10-DIWA Textbooks